PG Music Home Forums PG Music Product Forums Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh Bug's, Glitches and Wishful's

OS X 10.5.8
iMac with Intel

It's a good program and my previous BIAB experience is 5 years with Windows version.

I now have an iMac and am only 80% happy with BIAB for it - I sort of feel like I paid to debug a Beta version. I'm actually happy to do the debugging (I'm an engineer and programmer) but, I won't be happy to be required to purchase the 2010 version for the things listed below in categories A and B. I hope all will be addressed in an update patch.

In three categories:
A. Bugs and Glitches
B. Not User Friendly
C. Wishful's

A. Bugs and Glitches
1. Lyrics window covers the style/tempo window and does not clear if tune finishes naturally (without spacebar pressing). And, of course, pressing the spacebar then starts the tune when I don't want it to start.

2. Program locks up randomly but often if trying to play from a specific bar via the bar selected and pressing spacebar to start play.

3. First note in tune with an added real soloist track that's muted (for first chorus) plays note on the first beat - (about 50% of the time).

4. Printing - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't - it seems to depend, in part, on the tune and it's arrangement.

5. There is no bail-out/escape from selection of first or last bar when selection is required (as in changing the tune length)


B. Not User Friendly
1. Windows scrolling - I have a few long tunes with chords that span the display from one to another (re the boxes 1,2,3,4). I'm not able to select/highlight the range of bars that span them (like I can in earlier Windows version) or mouse scroll.

2. As noted in other posts - no way of knowing what chorus is being played (this would be very useful in debugging solo and style change patches...).

3. Chord Sheet with the usual shorter notations - bars with 4 chords such as: BbM7b5 Eb7b9 AbMaj#4 Fmin7 get very unreadable/small.

Also, the Repeats (bar ends with double dot) are missing.

4. Small Fonts. My monitor is two feet back from the edge of the desk, sitting with a guitar in my lap puts my eyes about 4 feet from it and the fonts used in the Style/Tempo info window is far too small to read without sliding up to the desk and smashing the guitar into. Older Windows version is much better!

C. Wishful's
1. Fix/address the above

2. Pedal steel - it would be nice to have a jazz pedal steel soloist in the Jazz pack (such a Buddy Emmons...)

Jazz organ - something like Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff.... would be nice...

3. Would be nice to add/remove toolbar buttons (like older Windows version) - I'll never use things like Jukebox, Title, Harmonist, chord analyzer...

4. Soloist - maybe this is a bug? Can do only one real soloist if using the Soloist button - this function has features not available when creating a soloist track using RealTraks button

5. An easy way of making a custom Favorite list for Styles (adding and deleting items) - i.e., need an ADD and DELETE button.

6. Custom user Default settings (for things like Do Not Overall Loop automatically, Mute Middle Choruses...)

1. Lyrics window covers the style/tempo window and does not clear if tune finishes naturally (without spacebar pressing). And, of course, pressing the spacebar then starts the tune when I don't want it to start.

Good point - will fix.

2. Program locks up randomly but often if trying to play from a specific bar via the bar selected and pressing spacebar to start play.

- Haven't seen that happen, please provide an example tune, ideally one of our demos.

3. First note in tune with an added real soloist track that's muted (for first chorus) plays note on the first beat - (about 50% of the time).

- that issue was fixed in build 8 (Windows and Mac) ... you are using build 6. let me know if you still hear it with build 8. (see support page for free update) http://www.pgmusic.com/support_macintoshupdates.htm#2009_8

4. Printing - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't - it seems to depend, in part, on the tune and it's arrangement.

- Haven't seen that happen, please provide an example tune, ideally one of our demos.

5. There is no bail-out/escape from selection of first or last bar when selection is required (as in changing the tune length)
- bail out is to click on the flashing progress bar at top right... agreed that we could make that clearer, and also enable escape key for that.

Thanks - for your quick response. File sent with comments.

Following up... FYI

Received email back saying no Printing problem found. BUT, there is a problem and it happens repeatably and ONLY when/if toggling the title's case using the 'A' and 'a' case toggle buttons, then Print-OK and PRINT PREVIEW (which is available after pressing the Print-OK). The preview program opens without displaying anything.

Another bug - RealDrums selection panel shows garbled drum style text in the second line if the style/info name word-wraps (it shows only the top of the characters in the second line). Example: NashvilleShuffle^

>>Another bug - RealDrums selection panel shows garbled drum style text in the second line if the style/info name word-wraps (it shows only the top of the characters in the second line). Example: NashvilleShuffle^

Hi, Thanks for the report. Which panel are you referrring to? The RealDrums picker, right click menu or ? So far, they look OK to me

I just sent an email with a screen-shot to support.

I select the RealDrums icon, the panel that comes up has the problem (but only if the text for the style is long enough to want to wrap around).

The more quasi-nagging problem is print Preview if changing the title case. I am able to print it and print a PDF but, not able to preview it. I like to preview before printing...

Thanks,
bruce